Local Communications Specialist

Job Description
Main Work Location:

Historic Stanford Campus

Schedule:

Hybrid (at least 2 days per week on site)

Budgeted salary range:

The expected pay range for this position is $118,000 to $142,000 per annum.

This opportunity is a fixed-term position for two years.

About University Communications
University Communications, part of the Office of External Relations, provides leadership and support for strategic communications programs that advance Stanford's mission. The office is responsible for brand positioning and strategy; issues and reputation management; crisis communications; digital content and top-level web and social media platforms; media relations and news services; executive communications; major publications; and video production. University Communications coordinates with communications professionals across the university and advises senior executive staff on communications strategy.

Overview
The Local Communications Specialist is responsible for producing content, managing editorial products, and coordinating activities that deepen Stanford’s relationships with its neighboring communities. The role will manage day-to-day production of a new local edition of the Stanford Report email—the university’s flagship newsletter—with responsibilities also include email marketing, web editing, social content creation, channel and paid media management, and audience insights. It will work with units across campus and contribute to broader integrated outreach work such as event planning. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound editorial judgment, keen storytelling instincts, sharp writing skills, and tactical savvy, and will have experience using a range of channel management and AI and analytics tools. A strong baseline understanding of Stanford’s local audience is preferred. This position is a two-year term role with the opportunity for extension. It reports to the Senior Director of Channel Strategy, with a dotted line to the Assistant Vice President, Brand and Communicator Engagement. It will work closely with members of the Channel Strategy, News & Storytelling, and Visual teams, and will coordinate with the Strategic Communications and Media Relations teams as well as with other units in External Relations.

Job Purpose
Develops strategies, produces content, and manages communications products for Stanford’s local audience with a university-wide perspective and in support of the institution’s priorities.

Core Duties

Write original stories and co-produce new social and visual content.

Devise and implement creative, compelling, and effective means of communicating Stanford’s mission and contributions to residents of the surrounding community, leveraging audience insights along the way.

Engage colleagues across campus to source story ideas and existing content from other units, building relationships that surface compelling local narratives.

Email production and web editing

Produce the local edition of the Stanford Report newsletter, working closely with the Associate Director of Email Marketing and Director of Content Strategy.

Edit a personalized landing page of the Stanford Report website for a local audience, curating events, announcements, and written and visual content.

Social media and campaign management

Contribute to social media content creation and channel management.

Support paid social campaigns (e.g., Meta and Nextdoor) in collaboration with colleagues.

Support other paid media activities across partners, including managing ads in flight and assessing effectiveness of various paid approaches.

Write and produce content to be used in paid media activities.

Outreach

Manage paid media campaigns with local media.

Work with media relations colleagues to suggest pitches to align with paid campaigns.

Manage outreach activities, including events, with campus and other collaborators.

Analytics and insights

Using A/B tests and other tactics, analyze data to evaluate and evolve content strategies across web, email, and social.

Contribute to regular reporting products and provide oral updates in weekly University Communications meetings.

Evaluate potential vendors’ quality, process, and cost and make recommendations for selection.

Other Duties

Provide guidance on protocols and best practices to individuals responsible for local communications within school/units.

Assist in coordinating events that support this local communications effort.

As workload permits, contribute to the production and management of content for Stanford’s other target audiences, including current students, faculty and staff, and the general public.

Participate in crisis communications and direct the university’s communications response, if needed.

Other duties may be assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

Excellence in writing, analyzing, and synthesizing complex materials, with a demonstrated ability to communicate highly technical or nuanced information in a manner that is easily understood.

Demonstrated understanding of strategic communications principles, with the ability to discern a strategy to move forward and make or elevate decisions as appropriate.

Fluency in cross-channel content development and storytelling (social, email, web).

Familiarity with web content management systems, email marketing platforms, and native and third-party social media management and analytics tools (e.g., Storyblok, Matrix, Marketo, Brandwatch, etc.).

Familiarity with AI tools to support ideation, analysis, and productivity.

Demonstrated ability to earn credibility and influence opinion leaders.

Knowledge of Stanford and its neighboring communities a strong plus.

Responsibilities

Participate in the development of key messages and strategies incorporating a university-wide perspective to communicate complex information to multiple audiences and constituencies, both internal and external.

Execute communication strategies of moderate complexity which includes change management, issue management, digital media, etc., with knowledge of the university’s stakeholders and audiences.

Contribute to devising and implementing creative and compelling ways to communicate the innovations, employee experience, academic excellence, and essential nature of the university.

Collaborate with or within University Communications and school/unit/functional areas to ensure consistent and complementary strategic plans with overall university outreach and communications.

Evaluate potential vendors’ quality, process, and cost and make recommendations for selection.

Maintain knowledge by attending webinars, conferences, networking etc. to remain at the forefront of current industry standards, trends and technology.

May participate in crisis communications and direct the university’s communications response if needed.

May provide guidance on protocols and best practices to individuals responsible for communications in within school/units.

Minimum Education And Experience
Bachelor's degree and five years of relevant experience or combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

Broad and deep understanding of the communications role in institutions.

Experience communicating at all levels and for all audiences.

Strong influencing, negotiating, and relationship management skills.

Ability to earn credibility and influence opinion leaders

Understanding of strategic communications principles.

Capacity to write and synthesize complex materials and communicate highly technical or nuanced information in a manner easily understood.

Ability to mentor, motivate, develop and train staff.

Ability to guide cross-functions towards a common goal.

Ability to discern a strategy to move forward and make or elevate decisions as appropriate.

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